Why It's Officially The End Of An Era For HBO's House Of The Dragon
Felipe Rangel is a Movie and TV Journalist ScreenRant. He has been writing about movies and TV since 2021. Felipe joined ScreenRant in 2022, working across different teams, covering everything from breaking news to features to reviews and more.
Felipe is a writer who is an avid film and TV fan, with superhero movies and series being his biggest passion. He graduated from college in 2019, having studied Journalism. Before college, he spent a month studying at the Oxford English Centre. His superhero knowledge expands to the comics, with his undergraduate thesis being "Politics Reflected In American Comics."
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A successful era has ended for House of the Dragon, and one of the HBO fantasy series' best aspects is also behind this surprising and quick fall. Game of Thrones sits among the biggest TV shows of all time. Even though the fantasy series' final season was disappointing, following that kind of success as the next TV show to come from Westeros remained a daunting task.
Even though it faced that challenge, House of the Dragon succeeded as Game of Thrones' first spin-off, being very similar in tone to the original series and even borrowing its opening theme. Their main difference, between the period in Westeros' history that they are set in, is the fact that House of the Dragon, as its title suggests, puts the Targaryens and their dragons in the spotlight.
In doing that, it creates a new dynamic for the franchise, as Daenerys Targaryen was the only Game of Thrones character with a dragon for most of the series. House of the Dragon also found global success thanks to its talented cast, which mixed established stars like Matt Smith and Rhys Ifans, with newcomers like Milly Alcock, who now plays Supergirl in James Gunn's DC Universe.
Dragonstone Archives · The Dance Begins The Dance of the Dragons Awaits “The idea that we control the dragons is an illusion.”
🐉The BlacksTeam Rhaenyra
👑The GreensTeam Aegon
🔥DragonsFire & Blood
⚔The CrownSuccession
🔮ProphecyA Song of Ice
01
King Viserys I names his heir early in the series, defying tradition that would favor his firstborn son. Who does he name as his successor?
✓ Correct! Viserys named his daughter Rhaenyra as heir to the Iron Throne after the death of his first wife, Aemma, and their infant son. He forced the lords of the realm to swear oaths of fealty to her — oaths many would later break.
✗ Dracarys! The answer is Rhaenyra Targaryen. Viserys defied Westerosi precedent by naming his daughter over his brother Daemon. Even after fathering sons with Alicent Hightower, Viserys never changed his decree.
02
Alicent Hightower’s faction is known as “the Greens.” Who is her father, the cunning Hand of the King who orchestrates much of their political strategy?
✓ Correct! Otto Hightower served as Hand of the King and was the mastermind behind the Green faction. He strategically positioned his daughter Alicent to marry Viserys, and spent decades maneuvering to place Alicent’s son Aegon on the throne.
✗ Dracarys! The answer is Otto Hightower. He served as Hand to both Jaehaerys I and Viserys I, and engineered the marriage between Alicent and the King. Corlys Velaryon sided with the Blacks, and Lyonel Strong served as Hand before Otto’s return.
03
Daemon Targaryen rides a fierce, battle-scarred dragon known for its Blood Wyrm nickname. What is the name of his fearsome mount?
✓ Correct! Caraxes, known as “the Blood Wyrm,” is Daemon’s dragon — a lean, red, battle-scarred beast. While Vhagar is the largest and oldest dragon alive, Caraxes is the most experienced in combat and fiercely loyal to Daemon.
✗ Dracarys! The answer is Caraxes. Syrax is Rhaenyra’s dragon, Vhagar is the oldest dragon (ridden by Aemond), and Meleys “the Red Queen” is Rhaenys’s mount. Caraxes the Blood Wyrm is Daemon’s partner in the skies.
04
Princess Rhaenys Targaryen is known by a nickname reflecting the fact she was passed over for the throne in favor of Viserys. What is she called?
✓ Correct! Rhaenys was dubbed “The Queen Who Never Was” after the Great Council of 101 AC chose Viserys over her, despite her strong claim. Married to Corlys Velaryon, she became one of the most formidable figures in the Dance, riding Meleys the Red Queen.
✗ Dracarys! The answer is The Queen Who Never Was. “The Realm’s Delight” is actually young Rhaenyra’s nickname. Rhaenys earned her title when the lords of the realm chose Viserys over her at the Great Council, setting the precedent that later fueled the Dance.
05
Vhagar is the largest living dragon during the Dance. Which Targaryen prince claims her — dramatically shifting the balance of power to the Greens?
✓ Correct! Aemond Targaryen claimed Vhagar at Driftmark after the funeral of Laena Velaryon — Vhagar’s previous rider. This bold act gave the Greens their most devastating weapon and sparked the confrontation that cost Aemond his eye.
✗ Dracarys! The answer is Aemond Targaryen. Aegon II rides Sunfyre, Jacaerys rides Vermax, and Daeron rides Tessarion. Aemond’s daring claim of Vhagar at Driftmark was a pivotal moment that made him the Greens’ most dangerous warrior.
06
Viserys shares a secret Targaryen prophecy with Rhaenyra about a threat from the North and a promised prince. What is this prophecy called?
✓ Correct! Aegon the Conqueror had a prophetic dream he called “A Song of Ice and Fire” — a vision of a terrible winter coming from the North that would destroy the world of the living. This secret was passed from king to heir, and Viserys shared it with Rhaenyra on the night he named her heir.
✗ Dracarys! The answer is A Song of Ice and Fire. Aegon the Conqueror’s dream foretold a great threat from the North requiring a Targaryen on the Iron Throne to unite the realm. Viserys revealed this to Rhaenyra, connecting House of the Dragon directly to the events of Game of Thrones.
07
Corlys Velaryon is one of the richest and most powerful men in Westeros, famous for his legendary voyages. What is his well-known title?
✓ Correct! Corlys Velaryon earned the name “The Sea Snake” through his legendary nine voyages across the known world aboard his ship. He amassed a fortune that made House Velaryon wealthier than even the Lannisters, and his naval power proved crucial in the Dance.
✗ Dracarys! The answer is The Sea Snake. While Corlys did serve on the Small Council, his legendary title comes from his nine great voyages. “Lord of the Tides” is the formal title of the head of House Velaryon, but “The Sea Snake” is his personal epithet.
08
The Season 1 finale ends with a devastating loss for Rhaenyra when one of her sons is killed in a dragonback confrontation. Which son does she lose, and who kills him?
✓ Correct! Lucerys Velaryon, riding his young dragon Arrax, was pursued and killed by Aemond on the colossal Vhagar above Shipbreaker Bay near Storm’s End. The show portrays this as partly accidental — Vhagar acted on her own — but the result ignited the Dance of the Dragons into open war.
✗ Dracarys! The answer is Lucerys, killed by Aemond and Vhagar. Luke was sent as an envoy to Storm’s End but was confronted by Aemond. The massive Vhagar devoured young Arrax and his rider above Shipbreaker Bay — the act that turned a succession dispute into a full-scale civil war.
Dragonstone Archives · Sealed by Fire Your Dragon Rider Record
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Did you ride to glory — or fall from the sky?
An immersive world filled with complex characters, intricate political games, bloody fight sequences, and destructive dragons led to House of the Dragon becoming a global streaming hit across its three seasons released so far. The Game of Thrones spin-off series also boasts a stellar 88% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes. However, after House of the Dragon season 3's finale, an era ended all the same for the hit show.
House Of The Dragon Has Met The End Of An Era After A Game-Changing Season 3 Finale
There are two ways in which House of the Dragon season 3 faced an end of an era for the HBO fantasy series. The first was story-wise, as House of the Dragon's season 3 finale ended with Rhaenyra Targaryen becoming a shadow of herself, which should ultimately prove to be her downfall. It is a better realized version of Daenerys' rushed fall from grace in Game of Thrones season 8. Based on the source material, George R. R. Martin's Fire & Blood, that was to be expected. However, the other end of an era faced by the Game of Thrones franchise is more surprising, as it came quickly.
That would be the fact that House of the Dragon only managed to hold on to HBO Max's Top 10 TV Shows chart in the United States for a little under a month. The HBO fantasy series started to trend on June 22, a day after season 3's debut on the streaming service and HBO's linear channel. House of the Dragon would appear on the coveted list for the last time on September 6.
While TV shows are expected to fall from streaming charts after new seasons finish airing, the fact that a massive show like House of the Dragon fell off HBO Max's US chart less than a month after the season 3 finale, which was released on August 9, is what is so surprising. It was way too quick a shift for the Game of Thrones spin-off.
House Of The Dragon's Streaming Charts Fall Is Largely Due To Its Event Nature
With a near-perfect 91% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes and a decent 65% audience score, quality was not the issue impacting House of the Dragon at the end of this streaming era. Instead, the factor that likely played a large role in that streaming charts fall was actually one of its biggest strengths. Like DC's Lanterns now, and shows like Game of Thrones, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Westworld, and many more, House of the Dragon is one of HBO's event series.
It is one of those premium shows that feels like appointment television, and if you are not up-to-date on what is going on with House of the Dragon weekly, you are both missing out on conversations/theories, and also likely to have huge surprises and plot points spoiled for you. While that has led to House of the Dragon maintaining high viewership throughout its three seasons so far, it also means that when House of the Dragon season 3 finished airing on August 9, there were not many HBO Max subscribers waiting to binge the fantasy series. As such, House of the Dragon's end of an era makes sense.
- Release Date
- August 21, 2022
- Network
- HBO
- Directors
- Clare Kilner, Geeta Patel
- Writers
- Gabe Fonseca
- Franchise(s)
- Game of Thrones
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.